Shortest Tenures
The following is a list of the cast members who have had the shortest tenures, spending less than a full 20-episode season on the show.
| Person | Number of Episodes | Notes |
| Catherine O'Hara | 0 | O'Hara was hired by Dick Ebersol at the end of the Jean Doumanian debacle when the show was on a hiatus to retool and relaunch. However, after a run in with writer Michael O'Donoghue, O'Hara departed the cast. She neither appeared in an episode nor was credited in an episode; her slot in the cast went to Robin Duke. |
| Emily Prager | 0 | Prager was hired by Dick Ebersol to be a featured player on the show. She appeared in a few sketches at dress rehearsal in what would be the final episode of the sixth season, due to the Writers' Guild of America going on strike in 1981. She did not return to the SNL cast in season seven, and is the only SNL cast member who never appeared on the show, despite being credited. |
| Laurie Metcalf | 1 | Like Prager, Metcalf was hired as part of Dick Ebersol's temporary season six cast following the termination of Jean Doumanian. Unlike Prager, Metcalf appeared on-camera in a Weekend Update piece. When the show was put on hiatus for retooling, Metcalf was not chosen to return to the show for the season seven cast. |
| Dan Vitale | 3 | Was hired as an on-and-off featured player for the 11th season, he was only credited with appearing in three episodes throughout the season. |
| Morwenna Banks | 4 | Was hired as a repertory player for the last four episodes of the 20th season, but was let out of her contract as part of a major cast overhaul Lorne Michaels had planned for season 21. |
| Ben Stiller | 4 | Before becoming a cast member, Stiller submitted a short film—a parody of the movie The Color of Money -- that was shown on the season 12 episode hosted by Charlton Heston. Stiller was hired during SNL's fourteenth season, but quit after four episodes due to creative differences. Despite this, Stiller returned to host in 1998 and 2011. |
| Tom Schiller | 7 | Schiller was one of the show writers who was upgraded to cast member status during the 5th season. He left the show at the end of the season. |
| Patrick Weathers | 7 | Weathers was hired as a featured cast member for the sixth season, but was fired along with many of Doumanian's cast. |
| George Coe | 8 | Coe was one of the original "Not Ready for Primetime" cast in SNL's 1st season, because NBC wanted someone older in the cast. He continued to make several uncredited appearances throughout the first season. |
| Yvonne Hudson | 8 | Hudson was a recurring extra during SNL's fifth season, and became the first black female cast member in season six. Like many of Doumanian's cast, she was fired mid-season. |
| Jim Downey | 9 | Downey was hired as one of many writers-turned-feature players in SNL's fifth season. Even though he left the cast after season 5, Downey returned to the show as a writer in the mid-1980s and has remained with it. |
| Matthew Laurance | 10 | Laurance was hired as a feature player during the 6th season, and, like many of the cast, was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul. |
| Alan Zweibel | 11 | Zweibel was a writer for the show before joing the cast during season 5, and left after the season finale. |
| Gilbert Gottfried | 12 | Gottfried joined the cast for the sixth season and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul. |
| Michael O'Donoghue | 12 | O'Donoghue was one of the original "Not Ready for Primetime Players," but was dropped after a few episodes. He remained with the show as a writer and occasional on-screen performer. |
| Ann Risley | 12 | Risley joined the cast for the sixth season and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul. |
| Charles Rocket | 12 | Rocket joined the cast for the sixth season and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul after dropping an f-bomb on live television. |
| Damon Wayans | 12 | Wayans was hired the 11th season as a featured player. He was fired mid-season for improvising on the air, Wayans returned as a guest to perform stand-up comedy on season 11's last episode and hosted SNL in 1995. |
| Beth Cahill | 13 | Cahill joined the show during the 17th season as an off-and-on featured player. She did not return the following season, as she was fired along with cast mate Siobhan Fallon. |
| Denny Dillon | 13 | Dillon joined the cast for the sixth season and was let go after the final episode of the season as part of the cast overhaul. She auditioned for the show's first season, but did not make the cut. |
| Gail Matthius | 13 | Matthius joined the cast for the sixth season and was let go after the season ended. |
| Paul Shaffer | 13 | Shaffer joined the cast during the fifth season after being a part of the show's house band; he left after the season's end. He hosted SNL in 1987, making him the only member of the house band to do so. |
| Janeane Garofalo | 14 | Garofalo joined the cast during the 20th season, but quit mid-season due to creative differences. |
| Michaela Watkins | 15 | Watkins joined the show on the first episode after the 2008 United States presidential election, then was let go before the start of the 35th season. |
Read more about this topic: Saturday Night Live Cast Members
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